The population of Uganda has risen by four million people over the last fourteen years, pushing the figure to 34 million people, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has announced.
However, according to a census report by UBOS, the country’s population growth has declined from 3.2 to three per cent, over the same time.
The shillings 200 billion National Census was carried out in 2014 but the delayed results have been released two years after, and speaking at the release of the census report today President Yoweri Museveni noted that population growth was a major factor within the region.
“The bigger population in the region is the bigger our quest is in attaining market,” he said at the function held today at the Serena International Conference Centre. Mr Museveni also urged the respective ministries to prioritise immunisation and provision of clean water.
According to the 2014 Census findings, the number of females was dominant at 51% out of the total population, while the fertility rates in the country dropped from 7% to 5.8%.
Further, the report indicates that the infant mortality rate has reduced, with fewer children dying before the age of one, while life expectancy increased from 50 to 63 years.
The report placed Wakiso as the most populated town with a total of two million inhabitants, while Kalangala district was ranked least populated with a mere 54,000 inhabitants.
It notes that 10% of the entire population has not attained an education and that 10% of the children under ten years are not in school.
It further revealed 8% of households still lack toilets, while subsistence farming remains the highest source of income at 69%.
Meanwhile, although the report establishes that there has been an increase in electricity distribution from 8% to 20 percent, there are many who still use candles/tadobas in rural areas.
